Trestles: Historic place? Historic treasure?

This 1938 photo shows some of the regulars who grew up surfing the San Onofre breaks. The Surfrider Foundation hopes to get Upper Trestles, Lower Trestles and five other strands at San Onofre State Beach listed in the National Register of Historic Places.Courtesy of San Onofre Surfing Club

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Is a surfing beach bordering San Clemente an American treasure that should be listed in the National Register of Historic Places? That's what the Surfrider Foundation hopes to do – get Upper Trestles, Lower Trestles and five other strands at San Onofre State Beach rated as important by the National Park Service.

It may not seem a topic that would provoke a fight, but it's drawing attention in the weeks leading up to a Feb. 8 meeting of the State Historical Resources Commission in Sacramento.

"I'll be up there for sure," said Mark Rauscher, coastal preservation manager for San Clemente-based Surfrider Foundation.

FOR AND AGAINST

Surfrider will cite contributions of the Trestles and San Onofre surf breaks to surfing as a sport and culture; San Onofre gaining fame as the Waikiki Beach of California in the 1930s, a place where generations grew up surfing and evolving the culture; and Trestles as an international icon today as North America's only stop on pro surfing's world tour.

Orange County is opposed, suggesting that Trestles' area is integral to Marine Corps training and arguably has had less historical influence on surf culture than surfing venues like Huntington Beach and Malibu.

The Navy, which owns Camp Pendleton where the surf breaks reside, argues that Trestles doesn't meet National Register criteria. Camp Pendleton has not taken an official position, a base spokesman said. The San Onofre Foundation is neutral.

The staff of the California Office of Historic Preservation supports the designation and says it has received many endorsements for the nomination. Supporters include the Malibu Surfing Association, the Huntington Beach Longboard Crew, the California Surf Museum and John Severson, founder of Surfer Magazine. "I sincerely hope that future generations will be able to experience this natural setting and the rich surf culture of the area," Severson wrote.

SOME BACKGROUND

In July 2008, the state Office of Historic Preservation visited the proposed historic district and met with Surfrider, which led to research into Trestles' eligibility. Five months earlier, a Surfrider-led movement had stopped a plan by Orange County's Transportation Corridor Agencies to extend the 241 Toll Road to I-5 at Basilone Road, behind Trestles.

The seven San Onofre beaches that make up the proposed district are on Camp Pendleton land that the Navy leases to the state. San Onofre State Beach is 41 years into the 50-year federal lease to allow public recreation. As commander in chief, President Richard Nixon decreed in 1971 that the Navy would lease a stretch of Camp Pendleton shoreline as a state park. The proposed district is 2.25 miles of beach.

WHAT IT MEANS

The lease is up in 2021. Surfrider's Rauscher said he doesn't foresee the Navy not renewing the lease in some fashion. "The area is too important," he said. "Can you imagine the outcry and the uproar if all of a sudden the Marines said you can't surf here anymore?" He said the 241 extension is "always in the back of our minds but it isn't a real threat right now."

Rauscher described a historic listing as "a proactive step ... one more layer of protection to try to fend off any future threats, whether it's the toll road or something else ... and it's to sort of raise the importance of surfing and surfing culture in America. There are no other surf spots (listed as historic), and that's one reason it's so cool."

Carol Roland-Nawi, California's historic preservation officer, said in a letter announcing the Feb. 8 commission meeting that a National Register listing would help preserve California's heritage and assure that any federal project that might affect the character of the historic property will be reviewed. It doesn't mean that the government would attach restrictive covenants to the property, the letter said.

SUPPORTERS SAY

"We've basically worked it out with Camp Pendleton," Rauscher said. "They're comfortable with it." The nomination specifies that "the Marine Corps must retain the flexibility to use its coastal and offshore amphibious training areas without constraints" and says that if the Marines find that training is adversely affected, the Corps can request removal of historic status and the state would support the Marines' request.

Related Links

This 1938 photo shows some of the regulars who grew up surfing the San Onofre breaks. The Surfrider Foundation hopes to get Upper Trestles, Lower Trestles and five other strands at San Onofre State Beach listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Courtesy of San Onofre Surfing Club
An aerial view taken August 18, 2010 shows Trestles Beach, one of America's most popular surf destinations. JEBB HARRIS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
An Amtrak Surfliner train passes over the new $8M railroad bridge at Trestles as surfers hit the beach, May 14, 2012. The Surfrider Foundation hopes to get Upper Trestles, Lower Trestles and five other strands at San Onofre State Beach listed in the National Register of Historic Places. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Brett Simpson of Huntington Beach, makes his way along the face of a wave during the Nike Lowers Pro at Lowers Trestles in San Clemente, May 2, 2012. The Surfrider Foundation hopes to get Upper Trestles, Lower Trestles and five other strands at San Onofre State Beach listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register
Surfers hang out at "the shack" at San Onofre in this 1949 photo. The Surfrider Foundation hopes to get Upper Trestles, Lower Trestles and five other strands at San Onofre State Beach listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Courtesy of San Onofre Surfing Club
'Nofre surfers line up for an "I Was There" shot in the 1940's. The Surfrider Foundation hopes to get Upper Trestles, Lower Trestles and five other strands at San Onofre State Beach listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Photograph by Doc Ball; Courtesy of California Surf Museum
The San Onofre Beach Camp parking pass was printed in a different color each year to discourage duplication, but it always featured the same photograph of George 'Nellie BlyÃ Brignell in the center. This pass is the 1946 edition. Courtesy of California Surf Museum
The late great Duke Kahanamoku (standing in front of the surfboard), on a visit to San Onofre in the late 1940s. The Surfrider Foundation hopes to get Upper Trestles, Lower Trestles and five other strands at San Onofre State Beach listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Courtesy of San Onofre Surfing Club
Surfers begin their day and pass under the new $8M railroad bridge at Trestles, May 14, 2012. The Surfrider Foundation hopes to get Upper Trestles, Lower Trestles and five other strands at San Onofre State Beach listed in the National Register of Historic Places. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A fully loaded-down surfer crosses San Mateo Creek at Upper Trestles. The Surfrider Foundation hopes to get Upper Trestles, Lower Trestles and five other strands at San Onofre State Beach listed in the National Register of Historic Places. FILE: FRED SWEGLES, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Aerial photos from 2010 show the coastline along San Onfore State Park and Trestles. At left, San Mateo Creek comes through the valley with Cristianitos Road on the bluff above with the campground seen near the green field. San Clemente is to the left (north), Camp Pendleton is to the right (south). JEBB HARRIS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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